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Michael Bloomberg Spends Big on TV Time in Portland

Bloomberg is trying to get the attention of voters in Vancouver, Wash.Michael Bloomberg. (Gage Skidmore, Flickr)

Seeing visions of Michael Bloomberg? It's not your imagination—it's 22 advertisements the former New York City mayor has purchased time to air on local TV stations.

Bloomberg is trying to get the attention of voters across the Columbia in Washington state, where the Democratic primary is on March 10. So he's already spent $2.96 million on local TV ad buys in the Portland market, according to figures tracked by FiveThirtyEight.com.

"This is certainly unusual to see this kind of spending this early on," Bob Singer, president of the Oregon Association of Broadcasters, told OPB reporter Jeff Mapes, "but I guess that's what you get when you have billionaires placing dollars."

The only other candidate buying TV time in Portland? Bloomberg's fellow billionaire Tom Steyer, who has spent a comparatively modest $28,000 on two spots.

You can watch all 24 commercials airing in Portland—if you haven't already seen enough—at this database.